Railway freight car corner cap



May 12, 1959 I R. M. SHAVER T AL 2,885,971

RAILWAY FREIGHT CAR CORNER CAP Filed Feb. 8, 1956 2 sheets-sheet, 1

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May 12,1959 l1R. M. sHAvER ET Al. 2,885,97l

i RAILWAY FREIGHT CAR CORNER CAR Filed Feb. 8, 1956 2 sheets-sheet 2 United States Patent O RAILWAY `FREIGHT :CAR CORNER CAP Raymond M. Shaver and Franklin l?. Adler, .Michigan -City, Ind., fassignors to Pullman-Standard fCar Manufacturing Company, Chicago, lll., a :corporation of Delaware Application February `8, 1956, Serial No."564;210

.2 Claims. (Cl. S-406) This invention relates tozopen'top freight vehicles and 'has particular reference lto the .constructionof :corner Another objection to prior corner caps is that they.` Aoverhang the right angle corner where `the side and end walls meet, forming a definite pocket. For structural purposes, the overhang is desirable. However, it provides a place where loading equipment may catch, causing damage to the corner cap and car structure, and, also, provides a pocket at each corner of the car which will trap and hold portions of the lading when the vehicle is inverted in a car dumper to unload.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a structurally improved corner map means for connecting the side and end wall corner portions of open top freight vehicles.

`It is another and important object of the invention to provide corner cap means for connecting the side and end walls which prevent loading equipment from catching at the corner and any portions of the lading from being trapped in the `corner when the vehicle is inverted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in greater detail hereinafter and the foregoing and other objects are attained by the corner cap Istructure of this invention.

The comer cap structure includes reinforcing plate means secured to the inner faces of the side and end walls and the respective top chord members adjacent the juncture of these elements and flanged means extending over the ycornerformed by the side and end top chord members secured to the reinforcing plate means. This forms a bracket enclosing the chord members so that the ends of these members and the side and end walls may be held in position. Plate means are provided extending at an angle from the diagonal edge of the anged means to the reinforcing plate means, thereby closing off the right angle corner formed by the side and end walls and the anged rneans. This provides a n'ght angled trihedral cor-ner.

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan View of the side and end wall corner of an open top railway freight car embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the railway freight car corner with the portion of the side wall and corner post broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation of the corner;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, showin-g the corner cap apart from the car;

These stresses create a tendency for the end 2,885,971 Patented May 12, 1959 ICC rFig. Sis a fragmentary plan `view `of a side and end wall corner of anopen top freight car, showing a corner `cap comprising a modified form ofthe invention; and

`fFig. 6 is a sectional View taken on the line 6 6 of iFig. 45` through the-corner cap and alsoshows thecorner .cap apart :fromthe car.

Asgshown inthe drawings,thereis .indicateda frag- :mentary portion of an open `top freightcanincluding `a sidexwall .10, an end wall `11 ,and a cornerI post 1'2 join- .ing -.the side and end walls. A top chord member-13 iinthe form of abulb anglesurmounts the side wall, and `aftop chord member 1,4,.al-so1in theform of a bulb angle,

.ismounted on the end :wall and `these top chord members are .each `secured to the linside surface of the walls 10 and; 11, respectively, by means of inner iilanges 115` and j y16, depending .from the respective chord vmembers '13 and `14. For .the purposeof reinforcing the junction of the side and end walls 10 and 11 and the ,respectivetop chord members 13 and 14, an angleshaped reinforcing 20.`

plate .A1-7 is-secured atthe cornenformed hythese memhers. The :plate .1-7 consistsof two sides atsubstan- `tially right angles `and each of whichhas an upperjpor- .tion 18 and alower lportion 19. The upper-portionsl are contiguous with the` inner zsurfaces of .the chord member inner flanges 15 and 16, to whichtheyare secured `by rivets20, andthe lower lportions 19 being offset out- .wardly from the upperrportions ,18 are contiguouswith iandsecuredto the side and end walls. 10 and 11, respec- .1ti vel,y,..b.y.rivets.21.(Figs. 2 and 3),

therivets 20and 21, extending .through `rivet vholes .122, formed. in the sides `of plate 17. The upper edge of the plate 17 is disposed flush with the upper edges of the top chord members 13 and 14.

The top cover member 23 of the corner cap is comprised of an originally flat, generally diamond-shaped plate 24. A ange 25 is formed along the two adjacent outer sides 26 and 27 of the plate 24 and the corner 28 therebetween is rounded. The inside 'corner portion 29, opposite the rounded corner 28, between the sides 26 and 27, is bent downwardly at a point intermediate the length of each of the other two sides 30 and 31 and inclined toward the plate portion 17. The flange 25 is bent at approximately right angles to the plate 24 wher-eas the corner portion 29 is bent toward the flange 25 at an acute angle to the plate 24.

By this arrangement, when the corner cap 23 is located over the corner formed :by the top chord members 13 and 14, the vertically depending flange 25 is contiguous with the outer surfaces of the bulb angle members 13 and 14, thereby forming with the reinforcing plate 17 a bracket enclosing the top chord members. The angularly depending corner portion 29 is so arranged that, when bent inwardly, the edges 32-32 will contact and be secured by welding to the 'upper portions 1S of the reinforcing plate 17 and the outwardly projecting edges 33 33 of the corner plate portion 29 will contact and be secured by welding to the lower portions 19 of the reinforcing plate. By covering the three-sided inside right angle corner formed by the walls 10 and 11, the chord members 13 and 14, and the corner plate 24, the sloping corner portion 29 provides an obtuse angled corner in which loading equipment can not catch. It is to be noted that the cornerportion 29 could be separate, rather than integral, with the corner cap plate 24, whereby it would be welded thereto along the diagonal edge extending between the sides 30 and 31. A construction of this type is shown in Figs. 5 and 6i.

In order that riveting equipment may be used in the corner, an opening 34 is formed in the corner plate portion 29, thereby allowing the insertion of such equipment. The opening may allow certain types of lading, such as granular materials, to get into the space formed by the `comenportion 29 and the reinforcing plate. 17 whenthe 17, 4thfus forming an opening 35 through which the material may drain when the car is righted.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the corner cap may be assembled from separate parts comprising the cap plate 24a, reinforcing plate 17a of angle section, and an inclined corner plate 29a. The cap plate is flanged at Z5 as in the previous embodiment and is integrated with the angle reinforcing plate by welding as lbefore. The inclined plate 29a also is secured .by welding between the diagonal inner edge of the cap plate 24a and the respective angular portions of the reinforcing plate 17a and is provided with opening 34a and drain opening 35a. The

application of this corner cap to the vehicle structure is the same as the previously described cap and the modiv`tied structure similarly functions to brace and reinforce `the corner of the vehicle .and prevent anything from being caughtl under the cap and permits drainage of the granularmaterials.

I From the foregoing, it will be seen that an improved What is claimed is: l.` In a freight vehicle including a side wall, an'end wall, a corner post securing side and end walls together, and a top chord secured to and extending over each wall,

` a corner cap comprising an angle shaped vertically disposed reinforcing member having anges secured respectively to said side and end walls adjacent the top thereof and a horizontal cover; member secured at the top edges of said anges and extending over and diagonally between said chords and secured to the chords, said cover member forming a right angle trihedral corner with said reinforcing member, and plate means substantially covering said corner extending angularly downward from said cover member to said reinforcing member and secured to both said members.

.. '2'. A corner cap for an open top freight vehiclecomprising an angle shaped vertically disposed reinforcing member having right angle flanges, a horizontal cover member overlying the top edges of said flanges and secured thereto and forming a right angle trihedral corner with said anges, said cover member having a diagonal edge extending across said corner between said anges, and plate means depending angularly from said diagonal edge toward said flanges and secured to both of the anges, said cover member having horizontal bracket portions outwardly of said flanges adapted to overlie portions of said vehicle.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 891,466 Dewey a June 23, 1908 1,177,829 Streib Apr. 4, 1916 1,234,516 Wege July 24, 1917 1,939,931 Tangerman Dec. 19, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,041,470 France May 27, 1953 

